Do Muslims hate Jews and Christians?

Short answer

No. The Quran honours Moses and Jesus, speaks respectfully of Jews and Christians as People of the Book, and allows Muslims to eat their food and marry their women. Muslims are told to be just to everyone, and anti-Jewish or anti-Christian hatred is not a part of the faith.

The fuller answer

The Quran criticises certain beliefs and some behaviours of groups from among them, as it criticises some Muslims as well, but it also says that they are not all alike: among them are those who are upright, who recite God's verses at night and prostrate. The Prophet ﷺ stood up for the funeral of a Jew and lived with Jewish neighbours.

Political conflict, like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, causes anger in some Muslims and some use harsh words, and some wrongly turn it against Jews as a people. Muslim scholars say it is about land and rights and not about religion, and that Muslims must distinguish between a state's actions and the Jewish people. Jewish and Muslim communities lived together for centuries, in Spain, in the Ottoman lands and in North Africa.

From the Quran

1Ali 'Imran 3:113–114

۞ لَيْسُوا۟ سَوَآءًۭ ۗ مِّنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ أُمَّةٌۭ قَآئِمَةٌۭ يَتْلُونَ ءَايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ ءَانَآءَ ٱلَّيْلِ وَهُمْ يَسْجُدُونَ ﴿١١٣﴾ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْءَاخِرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيُسَٰرِعُونَ فِى ٱلْخَيْرَٰتِ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ ﴿١١٤﴾

They are not all alike. Of the People of the Scripture there is a staunch community who recite the revelations of Allah in the night season, falling prostrate (before Him). They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency, and vie one with another in good works. These are of the righteous.

2Al-Ma'idah 5:82

۞ لَتَجِدَنَّ أَشَدَّ ٱلنَّاسِ عَدَٰوَةًۭ لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱلْيَهُودَ وَٱلَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا۟ ۖ وَلَتَجِدَنَّ أَقْرَبَهُم مَّوَدَّةًۭ لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا نَصَٰرَىٰ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ مِنْهُمْ قِسِّيسِينَ وَرُهْبَانًۭا وَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ ﴿٨٢﴾

Thou wilt find the most vehement of mankind in hostility to those who believe (to be) the Jews and the idolaters. And thou wilt find the nearest of them in affection to those who believe (to be) those who say: Lo! We are Christians. That is because there are among them priests and monks, and because they are not proud.

3Al-Mumtahanah 60:8

لَّا يَنْهَىٰكُمُ ٱللَّهُ عَنِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَٰتِلُوكُمْ فِى ٱلدِّينِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوكُم مِّن دِيَٰرِكُمْ أَن تَبَرُّوهُمْ وَتُقْسِطُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُقْسِطِينَ ﴿٨﴾

Allah forbiddeth you not those who warred not against you on account of religion and drove you not out from your homes, that ye should show them kindness and deal justly with them. Lo! Allah loveth the just dealers.

From the Sunnah

The authentic hadith behind this answer, from Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim and the Sunan with the grade of the scholars of hadith. Open a reference to read it in the hadith library of this site.

1 Sahih al-Bukhari 1311 Authentic, agreed by the scholars of hadith

Arabic text

حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاذُ بْنُ فَضَالَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامٌ، عَنْ يَحْيَى، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مِقْسَمٍ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ مَرَّ بِنَا جَنَازَةٌ فَقَامَ لَهَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَقُمْنَا بِهِ‏.‏ فَقُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، إِنَّهَا جَنَازَةُ يَهُودِيٍّ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏ "‏ إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُ الْجَنَازَةَ فَقُومُوا ‏"‏‏.‏

Read it in the hadith library

2 Sahih al-Bukhari 1312 Authentic, agreed by the scholars of hadith

Arabic text

حَدَّثَنَا آدَمُ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ مُرَّةَ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ أَبِي لَيْلَى، قَالَ كَانَ سَهْلُ بْنُ حُنَيْفٍ وَقَيْسُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ قَاعِدَيْنِ بِالْقَادِسِيَّةِ، فَمَرُّوا عَلَيْهِمَا بِجَنَازَةٍ فَقَامَا‏.‏ فَقِيلَ لَهُمَا إِنَّهَا مِنْ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ، أَىْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الذِّمَّةِ فَقَالاَ إِنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مَرَّتْ بِهِ جَنَازَةٌ فَقَامَ فَقِيلَ لَهُ إِنَّهَا جَنَازَةُ يَهُودِيٍّ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ أَلَيْسَتْ نَفْسًا ‏"‏‏.‏ وَقَالَ أَبُو حَمْزَةَ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ عَمْرٍو، عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي لَيْلَى، قَالَ كُنْتُ مَعَ قَيْسٍ وَسَهْلٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ فَقَالاَ كُنَّا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم‏.‏ وَقَالَ زَكَرِيَّاءُ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي لَيْلَى كَانَ أَبُو مَسْعُودٍ وَقَيْسٌ يَقُومَانِ لِلْجِنَازَةِ‏.‏

Read it in the hadith library

This answer follows the mainstream Sunni understanding and is general learning, not a fatwa. Where Muslims differ, the answer says so. Have a question of your own? Write to us.

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